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How to get to Pyin Oo Lwin

Comfortable buses are now available throughout the country, and they offer the most economical way to visit Pyin Oo Lwin from Yangon. There is a choice of one day bus and several night buses direct to from Yangon. Travellers can save over $150 on a return journey compared to air. Domestic flight fares (Yangon-Mandalay) have risen by 50% to about $125, though Golden Myanmar still offers one way for $95 or less. Flights are now available between Mandalay and Bangkok. Business visas can be bought at Mandalay airport, but you should be sure to have the correct documentation.

From the Mandalay International Airport there are two choices: either hire a taxi (Sein Myanmar or Seven Diamond are best) directly to Pyin Oo Lwin (cost about $45 (40,000 kyats); or take a taxi into Mandalay (Shove Myanmar has a stand at the airport Arrivals Hall – $4 per person) to the roadside stop for Pyin Oo Lwin taxis. The cost of a seat in a shared taxi is about $6-7 (or about $35 for 4 foreigners sharing). The first option takes about 1.5 hours, the second about 2.5 hours altogether. .

It’s also possible to get from Mandalay to Pyin Oo Lwin by train (5 hours), air-con bus (less than 2 hours), or Hilux pickup (3 hours, cheap, smelly and uncomfortable). Hotels can advise on these. Train bookings and tickets can be bought only at Mandalay Railway Station. Trains run right through to Hsipaw and Lashio – a spectacular trip over the Gotheik viaduct – once the second highest in the world.